Login2Life is a documentary that reviews various uses of Second Life and World of Warcraft from a positive lens and captures the essence of online community and real relationships in cyberspace. As the news across the globe is filled with the negative consequences of gaming and technology, and as the helping professions debate about how the constant connectivity of our culture is breaking down our ability as humans to form real and lasting relationships, Login2Life busily and rather diminutively demonstrates how avatars can offer new life for many.
Take for instance Corey, a quadriplegic whose world literally came crashing down around him after a devastating car accident. Now with the aid of his mother and other personal care assistants, he remains at home most of the time with limited mobility. And yet he experiences rich and meaningful encounters in the game World of Warcraft. His mother becomes involved in Second Life and finds an outlet for her story- the story of her son and his disability.
There is Kevin, who makes a living by simulating sex acts in real life so that avatars within virtual worlds can experience a sexual connection with someone else. He is part of the virtual sex industry and in the process, helps people who may not have the opportunity for sexual expression due to disability or other life circumstances to be able to engage in sexual expression and connection.
… read the complete story ~ http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs/tiltiss8?mode=window&pageNumber=47
This article first appeared in the November 2011 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.
Click here to read the entire PDF version of the Login2Life: Expanding the Cyberculture POV article.
Kate Anthony, DPsych, FBACP and DeeAnna Nagel, LPC, DCC are joint Managing Editors of TILT Magazine and co-founders of the Online Therapy Institute and the Online Coach Institute.
